Friction clutch



Feb, 16 1926.

A. E. NORRIS FRICTION CLUTCH 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 30, 1924 Feb.,16 1926.

1,573,324 A. E. MORRIS l FRICTTON CLUTCH Filed June 30, 1924 2 Sheets--SI'xeetl claims.

Patented Feb. i 16, 1926.

1,573,324 .UNITED STATESl PATENT oFFIcE.

ALMON E. NORRIS, 03F BROOKLINE,`MASSACHUSETTS.

, FRICTION CLUTCH.

Application led .Tune 30, 1924. Serial No. 723,078.

To all whom. t may concern.' f Be it known that I, ALMoN E. NoRRIs, a citizen of the United States, and va resident of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of l\:lassachus`etts, have invented an Improvement in Friction Clutches, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a speciication, like characters on the drawings representing like parts. j

This invention relates to a novel and improved friction clutch of the double /cone type, having means for cooling the frictionally engageable clutch parts by air currents produced by the rotation of the clutch.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of onel illustrative embodiment thereof, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out lin the appended In the drawings: f

Fig. 1 is a half elevation and half section in a plane containing the axis of the clutch;

Fig. 2 is a similar partial sectional view in another plane containing the axis of the clutch;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on a reduced scale on line 3 3 of Fig. l1; Fig. Lis a sectional view on a reduced scale on line 4-1 of Fig. 1; and

f' Fig. 5 is a detail end view, partly in section, illustrating one of the friction blocks on anenlarged'scale, as compared withFigs."

1 and 2.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawings, and to the embodiment of the invention which is selected for exemplification, there is shown a clutch comprising a shaft 6, on

which two clutch members 7 and 8 are mounted for relative axial movement. Herein, the clutch member 7 is secured to the shaft, while the clutch member 8 is loosely mounted thereon. The clutch member 7 carries a series of friction blocks 9, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 5. Each of these friction blocks is hollow, and has two walls 10, presenting oppositely inclined frusto-conical surfaces 11, while the member 8 has two walls 12, presenting oppositely inclined.` frusto-conical surfaces 13, engageable with the corresponding surfaces of the blocks- In other words, the walls 12 present between .them a tapered groove, int-o which the blocks are forced by the wedging-action. Herein, each friction block is formed of metal, and has its working surfaces faced with appropriate material, such as any one of the commonly employed compositions containing asbestos, used for lining clutches and brakes.

In the present example, the clutch is shown in connection with a hoisting drum 14, con- .veniently formed as an integral part of the clutch member 8, and carrying at its other,

18 adjacent the brake, and an outlet 19 af jacent the clutch. The body of Vair within thischamber is caused to rotate by radiallydisposed ribs 2O within the rope-winding drum adjacent the inlets 18, and radially- .disposed ribs 21 adjacent the outlet openings 19. Centrifugal force tends to throw this body of air in an outward direction, and to cause it to How* in the direction of. the arrows from the chamber through the outlets 19, and radially outward toward the clutch surfaces. Some of this air escapes through a series of openings 22 presented by the clutch vmember 8, whence it passes along radial ribs 23, also presented by said member, said ribs serving not only to assist incausing rotation of the air, thereby to facilitate its outward ow, but also to inlcrease the'radiating surface of the clutch member. Further rotation is afforded by providing the outer wall 12 with ribs 21.

membered are hollow, present chambers having inlets 26 and outlets 27 (see Figs. l and 5). vided with openings 28, afording a way of escape of the air from the outlets 27. Thus" air currents introduced by centrifugal force are caused to. enter the 'inlets 26, and pass thence between the walls 10, cooling the Turning now to the other clutch member, -the friction blocks 9, which it will be re- The clutch member 8 is also prolatter, after which the currents pass through .the outlets 27,7aml escape through the openings 28.

The friction blocks are secui'ed to the clutch member 7 by clamping bolts 29 and clamping blocks 30, intervening between adjacent ends of the friction blocks. At these points, further provision is made for the passage ofaii currents (see Fig; 2) by providing the friction blocks with inclined surfaces 31, which direct the air currents into the spaces between the friction blocks, whence the curi'ents flow throughthe openings 28 presented by the clutch member 8. rlhus it will be seen that the friction blocks are cooled internally, as well as ontheir spaced ends. In the present example, the (lutch member 7 is provided with openings 232, which .afford entrances. for `airwhich is added to that passing through the ropewinding drum, and is caused to flowl along the clutch walls.

Having thus described one embodiment of .the invention, but without limiting myself thereto, what I claim and desire by Letters Paten/t to secure is: p

l. Ina doublecone frictionclutch, the combination of two clutch members, each having walls presenting two oppositely inclined` fijnste-conical surfaces frictionally engageable with corresponding surfaces of the other member, and means for cooling said walls by utilizingthe rotation of said members to cause air currents to flow along said walls in the general direction of the' axis of ,said members.

2. In a double cone friction clutch, the combination.V of two clutch members, one having .walls presenting between them an anrpular' groove having oppositely inclined frusto-conical surfaces, and the other'having walls resenting inclined ffrusto-concal surfaces ictionally engageable with the corresponding surfaces of the other mombei', and means for causing said walls to be cooled by air currents flowing along the nonengaging surfaces of both sets of walls lengthwise of the clutch axis. J

3. In va double cone friction clutch, the combination of two clutch members, one having walls presenting between them an annular groove having oppositely inclined frusto-conical surfaces, and the other comprising aset of` hollow blocks having'walls presenting inclined frusto-c'onicalv surfaces frictionally engagea-ble with the corresponding surfaces of the other member, and means for causing said walls to be cooled by air currents flowing lengthwise of the clL'tch axis, through said blocks and by aiijcurrents flowing between said blocks.

4. In a double cone friction clutch, the combination o f two clutch members, one having walls presenting between them an annular groove having oppositely inclined frusto-conical surfaces, and the other com,J

prising ajset of hollow blocks having walls friction'surfaces one encircling the other.

engageable with the friction surfaces of the other pair, and means to cause the cooling of safid walls by air currents passing in a gen- Verallyaxial direction over the other surfaces.

of said walls 1 6. In a friction clutch, the combination lof two clutch members each havingV a pair of concentric walls, each pair ypresenting two friction surfaces one encircling the other, engageable 'with the friction surfaces of the other pair, and means to utilize the rotation of the clutch yto cause the cooling of said walls by air currents passing in a generally axial direction` over the other surfaces of said walls. l

7. In a double cone'friction clutch. the

combination of two clutch members having interengageable parts, each presenting two walls having frusto-conical friction surfaces engageable with correspondingjsurfaces of the other part, and means for causing the cooling of said clutch members by currents i. ALMoN NoRRis.

have signed my 

